Resonant Histories

The upcoming collaboration between Emory Wind Ensemble and Emory Sound Collective, Resonant Histories, is a program that explores how memory, place, and storytelling shape musical expression across time, culture, and tradition.

The program opens with Deciduous by Viet Cuong, a deeply personal meditation on grief, renewal, and cyclical healing. From there, the ensemble moves into the sweeping sonic landscapes of the iconic work The Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi, a journey through ancient and modern Rome, where history and imagination merge through a reorchestration for wind ensemble. Dance and folklore emerge in Danza de los Duendes by Nancy Galbraith, a work full of rhythmic vitality and spirit.

The second half shifts toward narratives of identity, resilience, and American musical storytelling. Freedmen of the Five Civilised Tribes by Valerie Coleman honors the rich and powerful histories of African American and Native American communities, weaving cultural memory into her signature compositional voice.

The program concludes with Murder Ballads by Bryce Dessner, originally written for Eighth Blackbird. Drawing on Appalachian folk traditions and the haunting storytelling of historical ballads, the work blurs the boundaries between classical and folk sound worlds.

The program offers a musical reflection on how personal, cultural, and collective histories continue to resonate in the present, shaping how we listen, remember, and imagine the future.